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Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that the government is committed to the broader concept of social security.

Issuing a message of best wishes on the occasion of the 7th Social Security Day today, PM Oli informed that the government was working actively to run the social security scheme in a systematic way. "Now, there is no condition in the country that citizens feel the absence of protection and of guardians. For the citizen's welfare, there are states and governments," PM Oli reminded.

The PM argued that social justice and dignity were prioritized by the government in its journey to prosperity. The government has reflected its devotion to its people so no one would be left in helplessness.

According to him, social security has been provisioned as a fundamental right of the citizen in the Constitution. "As per the broader concept of social security, the government is preparing an action plan, programs and budget and enforcing these accordingly," PM Oli made it clear.

Moreover, he recalled that it was the government led by CPN-UML to launch social security in 2051BS that provided monthly allowance to the senior citizens, single women, and helpless people. The society security concept has now materialized the welfare state where there is social justice and equality.

"In our journey to present state, we have understood social security as an integral part of social life, state and social engineering," PM Oli viewed, adding that contribution-based social security scheme was launched lately by realizing individual's role in social security.

The BP Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital has begun providing treatment free of cost to the children suffering from cancer.

The Hospital, which was only providing bed, food, and radiotherapy, has extended service by providing chemo and medicines after the Health Ministry decided to provide cancer treatment free of cost to the children.

Director at Hospital, Dr Shiva Ji Paudel, informed that Nepal was receiving medicine free of cost from the World Health Organization (WHO) for the treatment of 35 types of child cancer.

However, till the government receives it, the Hospital has been providing medicines on its own. "After the Health Ministry ensured resources, we launched treatment including medicine to the children suffering from cancer for free of cost," he added.

Similarly, Deputy Director at Hospital, Dr Umesh Nepal, said the hospital witnesses a huge number of children suffering from cancer. "It is difficult to manage treatment on its own cost. So, the Ministry took initiative in this regard with assurance of resources.

Oncologist at the hospital, Dr Krishna Sagar Sharma, said if the cancer is diagnosed in children on time, it can be cured.

Nepal records some 1,500 children getting cancer every year. Among them, only half come to the hospital for treatment.

Lazimpat, Panipokhari, Baluwatar and vicinity will have electricity supply disrupted today for the expansion of cable lines, according to Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA).

NEA issued a notice, informing the public about tripping to be effective from 11 am to 3 pm under the Lazimpat feeder of the Maharajgunj distribution center.

The authority apologized to the customers for the inconvenience caused to them. The electricity supply will resume after completion of the cable extension.

Miss Nepal 2023 Srichha Pradhan is to cooperate with the campaign conducted by Annapurna Media Network to raise public awareness about climate change.

Deego Pranali Pvt. Ltd, a sustainable lifestyle brand, which is active in raising public awareness on climate change by focusing on five elements (water, earth, fire, air, and aether), and Annapurna Media Network agreed to collaborate to internationalize the issue of climate change by raising public awareness.

Miss Nepal Pradhan is the founder of Deego Pranali.

The agreement was signed amidst a function organized at Corporate Tower,  Annapurna Media Network's headquarters, in Tinkune on Monday.

Manoj Basnet, General Manager of Annapurna Media Network, and Miss Nepal Pradhan signed the agreement.

The collaboration will last for one year.

Annapurna Media Network, under the Unity for Sustainability campaign, has been conducting a campaign to raise public awareness about climate change through media.

“I am very happy to be associated with Annapurna Media Network to work on the issue of climate change,” Pradhan said, adding, “Annapurna Media Network will have my full support to raise the issue of climate change and public awareness.”

She will inform the world about the activities conducted by Annapurna Media Network on climate change through national and international forums.

Annapurna Media Network General Manager Basnet claimed that the Unity for Sustainability campaign being conducted by Annapurna will be more effective with the support of Miss Nepal.

Pradhan will participate in the Miss World to be held next year.

House of Representatives (HoR) Speaker Devraj Ghimire, who is on a five-day visit to Cambodia, had a courtesy meeting with Prime Minister Samdech Hun Manet and Chairman of Senate, the Upper House of Cambodian Parliament, Samdech Hun Sen.

The Speaker's Secretariat said that during the meeting with Prime Minister Manet at the Peace Palace in Cambodia, important issues were discussed to take the historical relationship between the two countries to a new height.

In the meeting, Speaker Ghimire emphasized that direct air services should be started from Buddha's birthplace Lumbini and Cambodia's Angkor to promote Hindu and Buddhist heritage.

The Speaker believes that this will further encourage spiritual tourism and cultural exchange. An air agreement was signed between Nepal and Cambodia in 2075 BS.

During the meeting, there was a discussion about promoting experience exchange programs between citizens of both countries. Speaker Ghimire also gave a formal invitation to the Prime Minister of Cambodia to visit Nepal.

Prime Minister Manet said that the inter-parliamentary assembly of the International Parliament for Tolerance and Peace (IPTP) is an excellent platform for the cooperation of small nations. He expressed his desire to arrange a suitable time to visit Nepal. The meeting is seen as an important opportunity to further strengthen the economic, cultural and diplomatic cooperation between the two countries.

Speaker Ghimire held a meeting with Sen, the Chairman of the Upper House Senate on Sunday evening.

During the meeting held at the Cambodia People's Party headquarters, both parties discussed the issue of further strengthening the relationship between the legislatures of the two countries.

Similarly, the Secretariat of the Speaker Ghimire said that the possibility of further strengthening the long-term relations between the two countries, parliamentary practice, regional cooperation and cooperation on matters of common interest were also discussed.

The Speaker, while sharing the experience of the unique success of the Nepali peace process, was of the view that both countries can have more understanding and partnership in areas of common interest.

On Saturday evening, he also met with the President of the National Assembly of Cambodia.

The Speaker, who reached Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh leading a five-member delegation, addressed the 11th plenary session of the International Parliament for Tolerance and Peace on Sunday will return home on Tuesday.

The Election Commission (EC) has directed the bodies concerned to provide polling venues for the local level by-elections scheduled for December 1.

It urged the bodies concerned to provide for use the spaces which have been designated as polling venues, from November 28 till the voting concludes on December 1.

The voting for the by-polls will open at 7 am and close at 5 pm, the EC stated.

The EC, through the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration, instructed all the local levels where the by-elections are being conducted to make arrangements for using the community schools, private schools, ward offices, health posts, community buildings, industrial establishment and public places that have been designated as polling venues for the same purpose.

A meeting of the EC on Sunday also urged the local governments to give a public holiday on December 1 in the local levels and the local wards and also to create conducive environment for holding the local level by-elections in a free, fair, credible and economical manner, said EC spokesperson Nota Pokharel Aryal.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) gained 15. 83 points to close at 2,683.24 points on Monday.

Similarly, the sensitive index surged by 1.86 points to close at 473. 06 points.

A total of 12,263,780-unit shares of 309 companies were traded for Rs 6. 34 billion.

Meanwhile, Best Finance Company Ltd. (BFC) was the top gainer today, with its price surging by 9. 91 percent.

Likewise, Ngadi Group Power Ltd. (NGPL) was the top loser as its price fell by 10.00 percent.

At the end of the day, total market capitalization stood at Rs 4. 27 trillion.

Film Southasia Festival of Documentaries, which opened on November 21 by director Kabir Khan, wrapped up on November 24, awarding the Ram Bahadur Trophy for the Best film to 6-A Akash Ganga directed by Nirmal Chander Dhandriyal.

The three-member jury noted of 6-A Akash Ganga: “A mesmerising tribute to the enigmatic Hindustani classical musician Annapurna Devi, whose genius shaped generations yet whose life remains shrouded in mystery. Directed with sensitivity and reverence, the film masterfully combines archival footage, intimate interviews, and rare performances to peel back the layers of a recluse who became a legend.”

The Jury Award was split between two films Devi by Subina Shrestha and Chardi Kala – An Ode to Resilience by Prateek Shekhar, with the jury noting: “The two exceptional films, each addressing the profound undercurrents of conflict in Southasia, are being awarded the Jury Prize jointly, standing together as equal bearers of the region’s most urgent stories.”

Additionally, this year, Film Southasia honored filmmaker Anand Patwardhan with the ‘Documentary Stalwart Award’, honoring his decades of productions focused “on social justice, humanity and memory”.

The Best Student Film Award went to Hello Guyzz! by Samiksha Mathur. The Tareque Masud Best Debut Film Award was awarded to Siege in the Air by Muntaha Amin. The Best Film on Depiction of the Climate Crisis, sponsored by ICIMOD, went to A Flaming Forest by Salman Javeed, Vivek Singh Sangwan and Satya Ambasta.

This year’s edition of the biennial Southasian film festival featured 47 films from nine countries, screened over four days. With the theme, Documentary in Anthropocene, this year’s festival focused on the alarming ecological deterioration of the planet, including in Southasia, while also presenting many documentaries that touched on Southasian lives across boundaries.

The festival was also host to workshops and discussions, kicking off with a directing workshop with chief guest Kabir Khan. ‘Kathaharu’ and the ‘WOW Festival’ conducted masterclasses with Jane Mote, The Whickers, UK, and film editor Shweta Venkat, in collaboration with Film Southasia. Other discussions were held on the themes ‘Understanding the Anthropocene’, ‘The Evolution of the Nepali Documentary’’ and ‘The Sudden Runaway Success of Nepali Cinema’.

The jury, consisting of Farjad Nabi (Lahore), Anitha Pottumkulam (Chennai) and Kiran Krishna Shrestha (Kathmandu), in their closing remarks, highlighted the importance and urgency of the theme related to human-induced deterioration of the environment, “This year’s theme—Anthropocene—is not just timely but essential. It is a stark reminder that what we share cannot be restrained by borders.”